When I Walk in the Dark ShadowsSample

He shrouded Himself in darkness; dark waters and clouds were His covering (Ps.18:11).

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me (Ps.23:4).

Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are His throne’s foundation (Ps.97:2).

He hid Me in the shadow of His hand. He made Me like a polished arrow. (Isa.49:2).

Our God lives in the darkness. God is light, and there is no darkness in Him, yet He chooses to dwell in darkness. Only in God can light and darkness exist simultaneously. In the Old Testament, He hid Himself from the Israelites in darkness. When they heard His voice on Mount Sinai, they felt that their lives were leaving them. From the darkness, God speaks to those who live there. The Old Testament teaches us that God was present in the temple's holy of holies. The holy of holies was completely dark. His earthly presence was shrouded in darkness, but where He dwells in heaven, there is eternal light. This is described in 1 Timothy 6:16 as "unapproachable light". It is a light that our human frame cannot handle.

When we walk in the dark shadows, we walk in the presence of God. As difficult as that is to understand, it remains the truth. Since we know as Christians that God dwells in the darkness and in the shadows of life, we never have to be uncomfortable there. A spiritual paradox such as this can only be understood with our spirit. God is light and there is no darkness in Him. He lives simultaneously in darkness and in inaccessible light. Psalm 91:1-2 speaks of God's presence being like the shadow of a great rock. The Rock of God's presence always casts a shadow, and that shadow is a hiding place for us.